How to Read Through the KJV Bible in Chronological Order

Reading the King James Version (KJV) Bible in chronological order can help you to understand the events that took place in ancient times. However, scholars do come to different conclusions as to which books came first. The Bible is usually organized into sections according to their topic. There are also some books in the Bible that are written about the same time period and events, just from different perspectives, such as 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles.

Consider and locate the books of the Bible before attempting to rearrange your reading plan. The traditional order of the books of the Old Testament is:

Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obediah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

The traditional order of the books of the New Testament is:

Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation

Rearrange the order that you read the books to reflect the earliest events. This chronology would be:

Genesis Job Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 1 Chronicles Psalms 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Chronicles Proverbs Song of Solomon Ecclesiastes 2 Kings Joel Jonah Hosea Amos Isaiah Micah Zephaniah Jeremiah Nahum Habbakuk Daniel Ezekiel Lamentations Obediah Ezra Haggai Zechariah Esther Nehemiah Malachi John Mark Matthew Luke Acts Galatians James 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Romans Ephesians Colossians Phillipians Philemon 1 Timothy Titus 2 Timothy 1 Peter Jude 2 Peter Hebrews 2 John 3 John 1 John Revelation

Arrange the books into the order they were written for additional study and insight. This order would be broken into chunks of books written during approximate dates. For the range 1440 - 1400 BC, the following books were written:

Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy

From 1400 - 1000 BC, two books were added:

Joshua Judges

During the period of David and Solomon, approximately 1000 - 931 BC, these books were written:

Psalms Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel Job Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon

From the era of the king Rehoboam to king Hezekiah, approximately 931 - 686 BC, these books were written:

Isaiah Hosea Joel Amos Obediah Jonah Micah

During the period of exile of the Israelites by the Babylonians, approximately 686 - 586 BC, the following were written:

Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel

After the exile, around 516 - 400 BC, these books were penned:

Ezra Nehemiah Esther Haggai Zechariah Malachi

The New Testament books were written in a shorter amount of time as compared to the Old Testament. This date range is only 40 - 68 AD and follow this order:

Matthew 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Romans Luke Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians Philemon Acts 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Hebrews 1 Peter 2 Peter Mark James Jude John 1 John 2 John 3 John Revelation